Service drop connecter and system



Oct. 29, 1 935. E. A. MACK 2,019,149

SERVICE DROP CONNECTER AND SYSTEM Filed Oct. 26. 19:54

EDWARD A. MACK INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented oet. 29, 1935 N T THAT- I 'ssnvrcs pm o MAIlmmllmtInmW.Vm-,Idmr

Bound;

o m 0mm 20,1934. Serial No. 150.105

" scum. -(c|. 173-251) 'Ihisinventionrelatestoservicedropconnectel'ssndsystemswhereinoneormoresecondary dmpoonnectionssmmadetoamninmhiemp Another object is to provide a special inter-.

medisteoonductorwhichaioneisdirectlycom' tlkcnwithsplit bolt'serviceoonnectersotasize suitnblei'm'usewlththe-tspconductm.

Alsomoflierohjectisioprovidesconductor otsuchcross secflonlstoresistbuckiingsothat N itmbeinstalledwiflinminimmn nmnberot I! M n was: invention to introduceaconnecter tonningpnrthced: I V

=l kurelbltoppinnwiewotlpolehnvin I servicedropconnectionsmedeaccordinatqend arrnngedinasystemembodyingthesnlient1eotures of the present invention.

Figure2isanotherviewoi'thesamewithsome.

ofthepartsinsection onlineIIl-Hotlflsurel.

Hgme3isanenlargedtragmentaryviewotthe intermediate conductor or connection strip or mumlandzwithonlyoneendormstauora secondarydropconnectioninposition.

Pigure4isasimiiarviewwhereintheoonnec-m tion strip is modified in construction.

Flam-e5 isasideviewofaportionoi'flgure! takenasapartial section onlineV-V. FisureGisaviewinelevatimotthespeciaisplit I bolt connecter alone of the'i'oregoing views. u

Throughout'thevaricusviews, the samerei'erenoenim emlsindicatethesameorlikeperts.

In distributing systems in rural oommuniths andmanycitiesandtownmitisqulteusunltonm poweror lightingmainline cablesthroughthem territory supported upon racks secured to pols erectedfor thepurpose,endthentomskesecondary service drop connections at the poles. directlytothemain'linecablesforcan'yingofl current 81113111887) the warmer-5;

Suchdropconnecflonsaccordingtoconventioml practicearemadebysolderinztheendsdthe' secondary drop connection cabls to portions 0 themainiinemblestrom-whichthe'inslflation hasbeenremovedthewiresbeingotowrseflrstfl twisted,a.nda.ttersoldering,tspeduptoinslflate andprotectthejunctions thus made.

However, such common and conventional preetice involves several serious disadvantages and drawbacks, among which are. primarily, the amount'oftimeandlsborconsumeinswellls the difliculty o1 bmskinz suchoonnections and thereatterreestablishingthesamewhenmttipg oitandrestoring service. Itisnisoevidentthnt thenumberoi'possible thatoanbedo madetothemsincablesatanyonepoleisquite limited,-andonlyatewsuchconnectionsarent bat, unsigh ly, not tomentionthatthey become increasingly 1e in-directratio to'their number. The danger involved to a line-man mustslsonot'beoverlooked when heistorcedto make newoonnectionsamid amasedtsuleot.

nnectionstestooned'aboutapole anditsmaineables. v

lnordertoentirelyeliminntealldissdvantngeslo of that class, and particularly with the foregoing objects iniview, the present invention has been designed, and isc to provideother advantegecus teaturesaswiiiappear Henee,'inthepractieeo!myinventlon, spoleli I has a pair of racks or brackets, generally indicated at 2 and 3 secured thereto by bolts 4-4, while a pair of rods 5, i are passed down through holes inthe arms I5, I of the racks or brackets and insulating bobbins or spools 8, 9 are mounted on the rods between adjacent pairs of said arms. To the bobbins similar to 8 on rack 2, the main line cables III, III are secured in conventional manner by retaining wires II, II, so that the cables are mechanically supported. Of course, in ordinary practice, the service drop connections or secondary cables are also secured to the bobbins by forming a loop about the same to aflord proper mechanical support for these cables while the bared ends are connected to the main cables. In the present invention, the same practice is followed insofar as the mechanical support of the main line and secondary cables are concerned.

Thus, the secondary or service drop connections I2, I3 are brought to the insulating spools B and 9 and looped about the. same as at I4 and I5, while the ends or pigtails similar to I6 and II are not in any case connected directly to the main line cable but connected to an intermediate conductor'which in turn is connected to the main line cable III instead. This main cable preferably has two places freed from insulation as indicated at I6 and I1 and to these bare portions are clamped or bolted by bolts I9 and 20 without soldering the ends of a service drop connecter strip is of. copper or other good electrical conductor. At II the bolt 20 also may clamp the end of another similar drop connecter strip 2| to the other side of the main line cable in order to increase the capacity of the main cable' for supplying service from the same pole. Both of the connecter strips may, for practical purposes, be considered a single conducting strip or bus bar to which service drop connections such as I2 and I3 may be quickly and conveniently made as will, now be explained.

One form which such a connecter strip may have is shown in fragmentary form in Figure 4 in plan view and as seen from the side or rather the near edge in Figure 5, and discloses spaced pairs'of parallel slots which are also arranged in the longitudinal direction of the strip. Into any one of these spaced pairs of slots may be.

inserted the prongs 23 of a split or bifurcated connecter bolt generally indicated at 24, the head or yoke portion 25 uniting the two prongs and being adapted to envelop the bare end 26 of a drop connection I2 or I 3 and holding the same in contact with the central rib 21 between the slots upon the strip, or else fitting directly up against said rib as in'Figure while the cable end 26 lies upon the rib between prongs 23. The end'or pigtail of the secondary cable I2 is thus intended to be in either case in intimate contact with the rib forming part of the strip I3 which is thus an intermediate conductor between said cable and the main line cable III. v

- In order to positively hold the cable end 28 against the rib, the split bolt is provided with a nut 23 which is screwed on the prongs 23, as the latter are threaded for this purpose. If the cable end is located beneath rib 21 and enveloped by the yoke 25, the nut is obviously screwed down on the strip, but if the end overlies the rib as illustrated, the nut is screwed down on said end, so that in either case the cable end is clamped against the rib and makes intimate electrical contact therewith. It may be mentioned that the cable end II terminating in the bare pigtail 28 in Figures 4 and 5 is bent at approximately a right angle to the cable I2 proper and therefore readily remains in place while the connection is being made to the strip or intermediate conductor. The connection is made without solder and is quickly and easily made, and as easily 5 ticularly the transverse position of slots 29 introduces a certain degree of mechanical weakness into the strip 30 and to some extent reduces the current carrying capacity of a given length of strip. These features are not exhibited to any degree by the position of rib 21 in strip ll, because said rib is parallel with the sides of the strip and takes an active part in carrying the current which may be passed through said strip I8, and hence the latter is the preferred form.

It is evident that strip portion I8 could be used alone without portion 2I, and that rack 2 could be secured to a wall or the like, and all service drop connections made solely to strip I8. The two together partly surround the pole, while strip I8 partly surrounds insulating spool 8, but in either case, additional service drop connections are merely duplications of the connections already described, and hence, the longer the strip used, the more pairs of slots are present, and as a result, the greater the number of split bolts that can be attached and the service drop connections that can be made. The connections do not crowd each other and are both balanced in appearance and extremely accessible for replacements by heavier cables, discontinuation of service 0 or restoration of the same. At all events, the strip to which the connections are made is the only conductor connected directly to the main line cable, and it is then merely a question of capacity of the strip for connections made thereto as (lo-'45 termined by its length.

The strip which is made in one or more sections and forms the heart of the present invention, is thus an intermediate conductor, and could be made in other forms, for it could be simply a cable or other form of conductor to which service drop connections could be made in other ways than as shown, as they could be clamped by means of split bolts such as indicated or soldered instead.

The invention is especially useful where replacement or reconstruction work is contemplated. After the strips have been installed and increasing loads at some later period require replacement of main secondaries with larger conductors. this work can be accomplished at reduced so labor costs over old methods for the reason that only the strips need be connected to the main line cables, leaving service drops undisturbed. By

.means of temporary jumpers, secondaries can easily be replaced with no interruptions to customers. In reconstruction work old service drops can generally be cut close enough to main secondaries to provide suihcient wire length for connection to the strips.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope 10 of my invention, and parts may also be used without others.

Having .now fully described my invention, I claim,

1. In a service drop connecter system wherein II aminlinecabieissupportedininsulatedmannerupona'racksecuredtoailxedsupportand oneormore secondary conductors aresecured andmpporteduponsaidrackandadaptedtobe led by saidmain line cable. an intermediate conductorintheformofa'bentstripofmetaldi- .rectly supported by said main line cable and havin: two distinct portions thereof connected to saidmainlinecableattwospacedpositlonsupon the-latter. there beingelectrically-parallel con nectionsestablishedbetween said secondary condoctors and spaced portions of said bent strip intermediate the two portions of the same which areconnectedtothemainlinecable.

2e Asystem accordingto claim 1,,wherein the intermediate conductor made in the form of a stripoi'metslisperforated by spacedslots,while the ends of the secondary conductors are clamped into intimate'electrical contact with said strip by 4. a system emanate claim 1 wherein the inteflllediateconductor!-complrisesaset zondmetal stripinsdditiontotheflrststrinwhichnrststrip ands'ee'ond metalstriparejoinedat'acommon mmctionthereofwlththemain linecable,the

secondstripbeingconvexiybentssweilasthe to establish the connections connectionaofthe with saidstrip.

'LAsystem thesecondstripbeingconvexlyhent theiirststripsothat'bothstripswillatleast e partlysurroundtheiixed lmrtandincrease theircapacity forconnectionsand also perforated by spaced slots, while the ended intointiconductors in order to establish the of the secondary conductors with said strips, therebeingasecondrackuponsaidsupporttofl carry one or more of said secondary conductors while said conductors carried by said second rack serve'to support the second metal stripin addition to the support'eiven the same bythemain line cable at the Joint between the two strips. :5

8. A system accordins to claim 1 wherein the intermediate conductormade in the form of a flat strip'of metal has the ends thereof forming theportionsconnectedto themainlinecahle andbybeingbentisarchedconvexiyabont so forconnec'tigz.

rack to increase its capacity thereto, which arched strip is perforated through its list sides by spaced-pairsof slots, while the endaoi the secondary conductors are clamped into intimate electrical contact with said strip as by means of split connecting bolts having the prongs thereof straddling said ends of the sec-v ondary conductors and fitted into said pairs oi slots in order to. establish the connections oi the secondary conductors with said strip. 40 9.Asystemaccordingtoclaimlwhereinthe intermediate conductor comprises a secondmetsl strip inaddition to the first strip, which first stripandsecondmetaistripareioinedatacommonconnection thereoi'withthemainllnecalde, 

